DontStopMeNow Audit Comm 17July08REP

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• Publié par: Vuwyung
• Nombre de lectures: 12
• Langue: English

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Don’t stop
me now
Preparing for an ageing population
Local government
National report
July 2008The Audit Commission is an independent watchdog, driving economy,
efficiency and effectiveness in local public services to deliver better
outcomes for everyone.
Our work across local government, health, housing, community safety
and fire and rescue services means that we have a unique perspective.
We promote value for money for taxpayers, covering the £180 billion
spent by 11,000 local public bodies.
As a force for improvement, we work in partnership to assess local public
services and make practical recommendations for promoting a better
quality of life for local people.
© Audit Commission 2008
For further information on the work of the Commission please contact:
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] Textphone (minicom): 020 7630 0421
www.audit-commission.gov.ukContents
Summary 6
England’s population is ageing 6
Few councils are successfully creating an environment in which
people thrive as they age 6
All councils should work with older people to age-proof
mainstream services 7
Councils should target services to tackle social isolation and
support independent living 7
Recommendations 8
Introduction 9
Chapter 1 11
A diverse ageing population 11
The ageing population 11
Increased diversity 16
Overcoming stereotyping 16
Opportunities and challenges 19
Chapter 2 20
Policy and performance 20
Local preparedness for an ageing population 21
Experiences of older people 24
Measuring spend and evaluating outcomes 25
Impact of Opportunity Age on local strategies and performance 29
A broad role for an ageing population; community leadership and
value for money services 32
Contents Don’t stop me now Contents
Chapter 35
Understanding and engaging the older community 35
Understanding the community 35
Key characteristics of good engagement 38
Good engagement - a cross-cutting process 38
Good engagement - an effective lead champion for older people 40
Good engagement - driving improvement 42
Good engagement - monitoring outcomes 45
Good engagement - a process that evolves and improves 46
Mobilising the community 47
Understanding, engaging and mobilising the community checklist 50
Chapter 4 51
Age-proofing mainstream services 51
Equal access for an older population 51
Involving older people in planning from the outset 51
Designing core services that all older people can use 52
Using existing resources wisely to improve access to services 53
Adapting mainstream services for older age groups 55
Taking innovative approaches to improving essential services
delivered by others 56
Age-proofing checklist 57
4 Contents Don’t stop me nowChapter 58
Targeted services that promote independence 58
Services tailored to the community 58
Developing resource centres as community hubs 59
Help with essential repairs and small jobs 61
Working with health partners to deliver interventions 63
Making use of technology 67
Innovative solutions for complex problems 67
Targeted Services Checklist 69
Chapter 6 70
Looking forward 70
Understanding and engaging the community is essential 70
Councils need to improve evaluation 70
Central government needs to provide clear guidance and set
outcomes 71
The Audit Commission will provide tools and utilise the lessons from
this study 71
Appendix 1 – Methodology 72
Appendix 2 – External Advisory Group 73
Appendix 3 – References 74
Contents Don’t stop me now Summary
England’s population is ageing
• Councils have a local ar ea leadership role to ensure that older people can live
independently and actively, with a good quality of life, for as long as possible.
• As the population ages, the challenges and opportunities dif fer between areas;
each council must lead an appropriate local response.
• The ageing population will be increasingly diverse: stereotypes about older
people are misleading, so councils need information about the diversity of their
local people.
• Older people - as citizens, volunteers, and service users - are an important
resource for local action to tackle social isolation and support independent
living.
Most councils should do more to create an environment in which people
thrive as they age
• Central government’s Opportunity Age initiative to improve the quality of life of
all older people has had limited impact.
• Only a thir d of councils are well prepared for an ageing population, though a
further third are making progress.
• The vigour of local action by councils is often not determined by the extent of
local need.
• Older people experience councils as organisations that view the m in terms of
care needs, with little focus on diversity and opportunities.
• All councils need to understand their older communities and shape both
universal and targeted services accordingly.
• Increased awareness, better engagement and innovation could help many
older people without significant expenditure.
6 Summary Don’t stop me nowAll councils should work with older people to age-proof mainstream
services
• Councils need to engage with older people in commissioning, de signing, and
delivering both mainstream and targeted services.
• Older people’ s champions and representative boards can play an important
role in assessing and evaluating the effect of local services on older people’s
lives.
• Councils can deliver significant benefits from age-proofing mainstream
services, often at low cost.
• Age-pr oofed mainstream services provide benefits for other members of the
local community, including people with disabilities and parents with young
children.
• Marketing and promoting existing services to older people can increase take-
up and support independent lives.
• The best councils innovate to adapt mainstream services for older people and
work with public and private sector partners to drive improvements.
Councils should target services to tackle social isolation and support
independent living
• Targeted services should focus on the underlying causes of dependency in
later life.
• Councils should lead local statutory agencies and the community and voluntary
sector in making the most effective use of local resources.
• Ther e are many older people ready and willing to contribute to community life:
local authorities and their partners should mobilise this resource.
Summary Don’t stop me now Recommendations
1 Local councils should: 2 Central government should:
• r eview their local demographic profiles • use the experience of Every Child
and reassess their approach to the Matters to review and strengthen the
ageing population; approach of Opportunity Age, working
with councils to design a clear outcome-• identify how they can work with older
focused framework; andpeople and local partners to make more
• formulate and monitor policy by using efficient use of public and community
resources; appropriate third sector organisations as
a voice for older people.• link local demographic pr ofiles and
community needs in age-proofing Audit Commission will:
mainstream services and designing
• work with other inspectorates to targeted services;
use the lessons from this study in
• tackle stereotypes and myths that Comprehensive Area Assessment
prevent older people being fully methodologies; and
engaged in the community and receiving
• work with key partners, including the appropriate services;
Department for Work and Pensions
• target spending to have the most impact (DWP), the Local Government
and improve evaluation; and Association, Improvement and
• use this study to support a management Development Agency (IDeA), Age
Concern, and Help the Aged to review, or councillor scrutiny, of support
for well-being in later life. disseminate the good practice
highlighted in this study.
Recommendations Don’t stop me nowIntroduction
4 England’s population is ageing and the 8 Resear ch for this study took place in autumn
trend is accelerating. This is a significant 2007 and winter of 2007/08.The Audit
demographic change that has not been Commission interviewed 235 people in tenI
seen before. The change brings both local authorities, four older people mystery
opportunities and challenges and there is a shopped 49 councils, and 175 older people
need for councils to make an independent took part in 15 focus groups. Details of
life an option to as many people as possible, the study methodology can be found in
for as long as possible. Councils need to Appendix 1.
start planning for an ageing population to
9 The key messages from the study are:ensure that the risks are minimised and that
opportunities are maximised. • the population is ageing and the older
population is becoming more diverse;
5 This study focuses on people aged 50
• few councils ar e well prepared for the and over; specifically people who are living
additional diversity in their populations;independently and do not have a need for
social care services. • central gover nment’s Opportunity Age
initiative has h